Exerciser



Sept. 12, 1933. F. G. FoLBERTH ET AL 1,926,844

EXERCISER Filed April 23, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet l f, Y n@ l Max/mum Sept. l2, 1933. F. G. FOLBERTH ET AL EXERCISER Filed April 23, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 www \N ATTORNEYS Sept 12, 1933. F, G; FOLBERTH ErAL 1,926,844

EXERCI SER Filed April 23' 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 gwuentozs Ubtomus Sept. 12, 1933.

F. G. FOL'BERTH Er A1. 1,926,844

EXERCISER Filed April 23, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Sept. A.12, 1933 j UNuff;DY

f A y i p s EAXERCIVSERf l kFrederickEGcFolloerth and William M. Folberth, v' Y s Cleveland, Ollio Application.. April 23, 1930.V i sensi No. 1,446,540

s claims; f (o1. 128563) j Thisinvention pertains to anexercising machineV of the character wherein a vibratory motion is imparted to opposite ends of anapplicator belt which encircles a portion of `thebody of the user, therebyfimparting a vibratorymotionand a. massagingefect-toV the portion of the body to which the belt isapplied j Y Among theobjects of the present invention are the provision ofmeans whereby the amplitude of lo Vibration may Vbe varied during the .operation of amplitude of the stroke causes an inverse varia.-A

tion lof the vertical component. Another object of the invention is the provision of acabinet wherein the machinemay be contained'in such a manner thati'no moving parts are exposedwduringoperationwhich are Within ther-reach of young children or which .could be injuriousrrto a grown .person Swho might fall against the machine or accidentally get some part of the body or the clothing caught in the mechanism. f W i Y Another object is the provision ofaa cabinet of l the"characterY mentioned, yhaving a counterbal- Y anced door which will also `serveas aplatform for the V'user ofthe machine `sd-tl'iat no-wall securing means -or permanent 'attachment of any part of -themachine or cabinet to anypart of the houser isnecessary. Y Y. Y, N

Another object is the provision of'an improved applicator belt for vibratory exercising machines. Another object is' the Vprovision of means' for indicatingthelength `loffstroke and hence the Y o intensity of the vibration for each position/of the f stroke adjusting mechanism regardless of whether the'exerciser is operating or idle;

The present'application relates 'to exerc'ise'rs and cabinets of the general type-described in our the 'dra-vifingstvY Fig. 1 is a side View of the vibration producing' vmechanism of ourexerciser; j

Fig.4 2 is a detachedperspectiveView of the,Y main supporting frame for the vibration produc; ing mechanism; f f 60 Figf isa plan View, partly in section,.of thev vibration producing mechanism; d v

Fig. 4 is a front view ofthe vibration producing mechanism .taken on line Vl-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the vi- 6 bration producing linkage when set to give the minimum stroke; Y i

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating the linkage aslset to give the maximum stroke;

Fig. 7 is a detached perspective View ofthe 70 stroke. adjusting nut guiding `link.;

Fig-' Sais'fa side elevation partlyin section of ourV exerciser in its cabinet, the door beinglowered toiorm a platform for the user;

Fig. 9 is an enlargedy side view of the platform 75 counter-balancing and lockingarrangement;

Fig; 10 is aview taken on line 10-10 of Fig. 9; l

Fig. 11 is a View taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 12 is a perspective view .of one end of our applicator belt; s f 80 V.lig.-13 isa plan view taken on line 13-#13 of Fig. 11-and showing our stroke indicator.

The'general layoutof our-exerciser is best illustratedfin-'the'drawings,in Fig. 8; the cabinetC is adapted to house the vibration producing mech- 35 'anisrn`, generally referred `to asA, andthe driving motor M. The motorfM is mounted on the base of thecabinet'and is connected to the actuating mechanism A by the belt B. *Referring to Fig. 1 lof the drawings, thevibration 90 producing-.linkage of' our exerciserV is supported by" the main frame or bracket 1, which is secured tothe cross member 2 of the cabinet by the bolts 3?' 'f The bracket 1 `has a transversely extending 95 bearing 'portion 4 in which'is supported the main shaftB of the actuating mechanism rA .pulley 6 'is secured'to-one end of the shaft 5 and the crank member` 7 is secured to the'opposite end. The

pulley 6 has a grooved periphery adapted to take 100 thedrive belt B andkhas a crank'pin 8 supported bythe hub.l The crank member f7 has a crank pin 9 similar to crank pin 8 and offset the same `distance from the center line of the shaft 5 .but Y removed in angular 'relation from the pin 8. Y105 inklZvandllink 13 by the bolt 14; This bol't14 lrl fie link 21.

acts as a bearing for the links 11, 12 and 13 and permits them to turn on the bolt 14 independently of each other. The front end of'link 12 has ngers 15 riveted to it. These fingers form a forked end portion for the link 12 and are provided with holes at their outer ends. The fingers 15 engage opposite-sides of the belt actuating lever 16 and are connected thereto by a piny 17. The lever 16 is rotatably mounted on shaft 18 which is supported by the end bearing portion 19VV of the bracket 1.

The link 13 is pivoted at its lower end at the common pivot point of links 11 and 12. The upper end of the link'13 is mounted on ashaft 20 which is supported by the upper end of the guide link 21. The lower end of the link 21 is pivotally mounted on a shaft` which passes through the bearing 22 (see Fig. 7) in the guide `link 21 and is supported in the holes 23 in the guided by the shaft and is disposed between the upstanding arms 26 and 27 of the guide In the form of our invention illustrated a spring 28 is inserted between the arm 27 and adjusting nut 25. This springsurrounds the shaft 20 and is under compression so that itY prevents any rattling or play ofthe parts and facilitates the easy and economical assembly of the mechanism. Thenut has threaded engagement with the threaded shaft 29. Shaft 29 has a bearing portion adjacent the forward end and is rotatably supported in the bearing block 30. Bearing block 30-is disposed between the two upstanding lugs 31 and 32 of the bracket 1 and is pivoted thereto by a pin 33 which passes through holes in the lugs 31 and 32. An adjusting knob 34. is secured to the end of the shaft 29 which is adapted to extend out lthrough the protecting cover plate 35. 'Stop pins 29' and 29" on the shaft 29 limit the movement of the nut 25 and determine the maximum and minimum stroke.

may be varied.

The linkage above described,is particularly adapted to give the desired oscillating movement to the belt actuating lever 16., The belt actuating lever 36 is connected to the power driven crank pin 8 and to the adjusting nut 25 by linkage which is identical with that descrbed in regard to lever 16. Therefore, it will not be necessary to here describe in detail the linkage which controls the movement of lever 36, but it will be sufficient to say that, as the crank pin 8 is removed 180 from the crank pin 9, the belt actuating lever 16 will be in its extreme forward position when the belt actuating lever 36 is in its most rearwardly position and vice versa.

The free ends of the levers'l and 36V carry studs 37 to which the ends ofthe applicator belt 38 may be quickly and .easily attached or detached;

As best seen in Fig. 8the rear coverfplate 2' of the cabinet extends upwardly from the base 39 and may be heldin place by` suitable fasteners. The bracket lis secured to the cross member; 2 as above described and the actuating mecha- Ynism and driving motor uare enclosed within the walls of the cabinet. The portion of the actuating mechanism whichv projects` out beyond the front wall 40 of the cabinet C is enclosed by the sheet metal cover plate 35.l This cover plate 35 has slots in its upper surface to accomdate the movement of the levers 16 and 36 and is provided with an aperture on its front wall through which the shaft 29 passes. From the above description it can be seen that the moving parts of the exerciser are entirely enclosed with the exception of the upper end of the arms 16 and -36. These must necessarily project yout beyond the enclosure'so that the ends of the belt 38 may be attached thereto.

T o indicate the intensity of the vibration imparted to the applicator belt We have provided the indicator arm which is mounted on the shaft 20 and extends forwardly. The pointer ,portion 61 of the arm 60 projects up through a slot 62 in the ktop of the cover plate 35. A graduated; scale 63 may be secured to the cover 35 so that the user of the apparatus can tell at a glance whether the exerciser is set to give ,a light, medium or heavy vibratory treatment. When the knob 34 is turned the shaft.20 is moved and this movement is indicated by the pointer 6l on the scale 63. As `the position of the shaft 20 determines the lengthof stroke of the arms 16 andl 36, the pointer-61 will give a true reading of the intensity of vibration. switch 64 may be mounted on thefront of cover plate 35 and connected to control the driving motor M.

The top, bottom and side walls of the cabinet projectV out beyond the xed front wall 40 and the platform 41 is `hinged at its lower edge to the front edge of the base 39. In Fig. 8 the platform 41 is shown in full lines in position to support the user of the apparatus and is shown in dot and dash lines in closed position. When in the closed position, the platform 41 forms av front panel which completely hides the operating mechanism. It will be noted that the top of the cabinet is hinged at 42, and is provided at its edge with a downwardly projecting lip portion 43.

When the platformis in the closed position, this lip portion-43 overlaps the top edge ofl the platform 41 and forms an effective lock therefor.

The platform 41 is'provided with counterbalancing springs 44 which are secured at one end to the platformand at the other tothe sidewalls of the cabinet. These springs are s o' positioned and adjusted thatA they will prevent the platform from falling to the floor from its closed position when it is released by lifting the front portion frio iso

These arms are pivotedto the plate member 45 feo Loaaerifi Y extendY from -the closed ends of the U-shaped pieces 51 and are secured-to tabs, vpreferablyfof leather, which have button-hole shaped apertures v 54.A These'apertures 54 are adaptedto be slipped over the studs 37 on the oscillating arms 16 ancls.v '1' Y v `u' The above described belt constructionprovides an applicator belt'whichlmay be'easily and quick'- ly attached and detachedfrom the oscillating arms and whichmay be used to encircle the users body to give the desired vibratory action. The hand grips 50 are alsoadapted'to be ygrasped in the hands of the user to give a more direct vibrating and exercising eiect tothe arms` and upper parts of the body.. A convenient-handle or hand-grip is providedby the round pins 50. The U-shaped rods 5l do not interfere with the .users grasping the grips; and by the above-described belt construction the necessity for havingseparate `hand grips is eliminated. In other types oi vibratory exercizers with which 'we are familiar, it is necessary to completely remove the belt and attachindividual handle niembersto the vibrating members when it is desired to receive the-vibrations of the machine direct to the hands and arms rather than through the applicator belt.

The operation or" our exerciser may best be understood by reference to Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings which are diagrammatic representations of the linkage. In Fig. 5 the mechanism is set to give the minimum stroke or the vibrating arm and in Fig. 6 to give the maximum stroke. these views the various links are represented by single lines and have been numbered to corre- Y spond with the reference numbers given the corthe arrow. The movement of the pointP2 which is the pivot point of levers 11, 12 and 13 is along the arc, a, which is drawn about the xed point Y P3 on the adjusting nut 25. A movement of the pivot point of links 11, 12 and 13 from the point P2 to the point P4 along the arc, a, causes the link 16 to move from the farthest forward position P5 to its most rearwardly position P6. Itis seen from Fig. 5 that the movement of the end of the lever 16, and in like manner the movement of the end of lever 36, has a very small vertical component, the movement of the ends of these levers being substantially horizontal. In Fig. 6V the position of the adjusting nut 25 has been changed to give the maximum length of In moving from the position shown ini.

stroke. Fig. 5 to the position., shown in Fig. 6 the point P3 on the adjusting nut, moves on the arc indicated at al and which is drawnv around the fixed center point P7. As the point P3 is the center of the arc, a, it is evident that movement of the point P3 will cause the position .of the arc, a, to change. In Fig. 6 movement of vthe point P1 throughan angle of 180 degrees will causethe point P2 to move from P2 to P4. This movement of the point P2 will cause the vibrating lever 16 to move. f-iompoint P5 to point P8 giving the maximumstroke'. Y l f f Fig. 6 clearly illustrates that the'vertical component of the movement of the en'd of lever 16, and likewise leverr 36, vwhenset to give the longest stroke,A is very small, and -that substantially all of themovement of -4the end of the lever ishori-A zontal thus giving the most desirable and eiiective vibratoryfmovementto theapplicator belt.r v ffIt'f-will lbe seen from therabove' description `that We have provided an exerciserof ruggedconstruc'- tiony which jmay be easily adjusted vduring itsoperation to give the desiredlengthcf stroke .and resulting intensityfof vibratingfeffect. Moreover, bymeans of-'our linkage the vertical component ofi the movementI of the vibrating army ris .maintainedlata during the entire range-of adjustment of the length ofl the'stroke.- The exercisen'. together with .the enclosingcabinet'forms a complete unitwhich maybe Vmoved from one partfof the housey to the other, and need not be secured to'thewalL orexternally supported or braced Vin any manner. Our platform construction, and mechanism for connectingv it to the cabinet, lprevent any possibleaccident to small children or others through the-'platformialling fromv its closed position and our stroke' indicator enables the user to set the exerciser'to give the desired intensity of vibration before starting the treatment. f

ment of our invention in some particularity, modifications and variations thereof may appear to those skilled in the art to which it appertains and we do not, therefore, limit ourselves to the precise -details shown and described, but claim as our inventionV all embodiments thereof coming within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

` 1. In a vibratory mechanism means for translating rotary movement into oscillatory movement including a shaft having a crank, a toggle, a connecting link, a lever, means to selectively change the position of Yone end of said toggle including a threaded nut and a screw through said nut, one end of the toggle being pivoted on said nut whereby rotation of the screw moves said end of the toggle and the other end being pivoted to said crank, said connecting link being connected at one end to'said lever at a point intermediate Yits ends and at the otherend to Ythe joint of said toggle.

`2. In apparatus of the class described, mechanism for translating rotary motion into vibratory motion comprising a rotatable shaft, a crank on saidshaft, a toggle, a vibrating lever, a connecting link pivoted at one end at the joint of said toggle and at the other end to said Vibrating lever, an adjusting nut, said toggle being pivctally connected at one end to said crank and at the other end to said nut,vmeans for changing the position no. Y

ing the motion of the joint of said toggle into substantially horizontal arcuate motion having a small vertical component.

4. An exerciser comprising a n1otor,a rotatable shaft, means connecting said motor to drive said 105v While we have described the illustrated embodishaft, a crank lon saidshaft, Va toggle pivotally connected at one end to said crank,kan adjustable pivot to which the other end of said toggle is pivoted, means for changing the position of said pivot, a Vibrating lever and means connecting said toggle and said lever whereby movement of said toggle YWill cause the end of said lever to move in a substantially horizontal path.

5. An exerciser including a motor, an vapplica-- tor belt and mechanism for translating rotary into vibratory motion, said mechanism comprising va driven shaft, oppositely disposed'cranks at opposite ends thereof, toggles secured atone end to and actuated by each of said cranks, an adjustable support for the free ends of said toggles and means for applying themovement of the joint of each of said toggles to the opposite ends of said applicator belt. v Y Y 6. An exerciser including a motor, an applicator belt and mechanism for translating rotary into vibratory motion, said mechanism comprising a driven shaft, oppositely disposed cranks`- at opposite ends thereof, togglesisecured at one end to and actuated by each of said cranks, an adjustable support for the free ends of said toggles and means for applying the movement of thejoint of each of said toggles to the opposite ends ofsaid applicator belt said means comprising vibrating levers adapted to be engaged by the ends of said belt and connecting links connecting reach' of said levers with the joint of its` corresponding toggle. Y y

7. An exerciser including a motor, an applica-y tor belt and mechanism for translating-rotary into vibratory motion,` said mechanism comprising a driven shaft, oppositely disposed cranks at oppof site ends thereof, toggles secured at one end to and actuated by eachlof said cranks, an adjustafv ble support for the free ends of said toggles, means movable with saidsupport for indicating the position of said support said means including an indicating nger and a scale calibrated to show intensity of vibration, and means for applying the movement of the joint of each of said toggles to the Opposite endsvof said applicator belt.

`.8. Anapplicator belt for exercising machines comprising a flat fabric body engaging belt member, hand gripping pins at the ends of said--belt member and secured thereto by doubling back the ends of said fabric belt'member around said pins,V U-shaped rodshaving their open'ends se#- cured to said pins, connecting belt members secured to the closed ends of said U-shaped rods, said connecting belt members having apertures at theirfends adapted to engage the vibrating parts of said exercising machine. f

FREDERICK G. FOLBERTH.

WILLIAM M. FOLBERTH. 

